


Unknown

by orphan_account, RougemageNick



Series: Just a RWBY OS full of OCs... [16]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-13 01:32:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2132034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougemageNick/pseuds/RougemageNick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teams JNAS and SCRT are at the mercy of Xellos, only able to wait and watch until the next time he shows himself. With nothing to do but prepare themselves for their next encounter, the teams undergo brutal training at the hands of Jay's guardian, Mickey Zephora. But not everyone is not willing to wait around for Xellos' plans for long.....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> ATTENTION. FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO SEE THE ARTWORK, UNFORTUNATELY, AT THE REQUEST OF OUR ARTIST, IT HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR THE TIME BEING. I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF/WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO REPOST THE ART. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE. Hello, ladies and gentlemen. MZT1418, to those who are reading. Apologies for the inconsistent updates lately, but my focus has been elsewhere, as I've quite alot to handle. I will do my best though to update as often as I can.... Thanks for your patience.

Unknown:

Walking quickly down the streets, she clutched her arms against the cold. She'd always loved the cold. But tonight it bit deeply against her skin like never before. She wiped another tear off of her face, watching it freeze on her hand before returning her hand to her arms. Crying...She hated crying...It made anyone look pathetic. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. At herself...At the incident in the facility...At the world she was forced to live in. But then...What could she do. Turning another corner, Iskelle remembered her time at the Academy. She remembered smiling and laughing with her team. She remembered being an entirely different person. And Leif.....That was until Xellos confronted them. Her memory failed her...Or maybe she didn't want to remember her first encounter with her master. It didn't really matter now. She made her choice. But now...Everything was falling apart. 'What was I thinking....' Iskelle wondered to herself. She recalled her argument with Leif just an hour ago. She demanded that they get out now. It was too late anyway...Beacon had found them. It wouldn't be long until they went after them again. Leif had tried to reason with her. Tried to tell her that they had no way of tracking them. Xellos had gotten out...He'd cleansed the facility. There was nothing left to trace. All they had to do is sit back. Sit back and do as they were told. But she wouldn't have it. She brushed off another tear, remembering the names she'd called him. 'Why did I say those things.....' her teeth chattered as her thoughts raced. She turned another couple of corners to her destination. After storming off in anger, she felt trapped. Felt like she needed to get out...Needed to do something. She knew what the problem was...It was that team they'd attacked...They came back after her though.

"I'll show them....." she muttered angrily. She recalled the red-head's taunt to her. 'This time.....Your  **our**  prey...' She was filled with anger just thinking about it. She felt the heat of it in her chest, and the cold bit furiously now, but of her own aura acting up. She stopped in front of the door, above which was a painted eye. "I am no one's prey." she muttered to herself. She opened the door and walked in. The door closed behind her as she sat down. The chair across from her was empty, but the light above her was lit. After a minute, there was a rustling, before the Watcher came out of the door on the opposite end of the room. He entered, shuffling his cards as usual, and sat down.

"Welcome, Ms. Femmaren." he said. Iskelle wasn't surprised that he knew who she was. This man's memory was perfect. She wasted no time pulling out the fee and placing it before him. He smiled, sliding it off of the table and slipping it into his pocket. "What is it you wish to know?" he asked.

"Tell me about them..... You know who I'm talking about them. All of them. Everything you know about their skills and weaknesses." she demanded.

The Watcher smiled and breathed deeply, placing his deck aside and lacing his hands in consideration.

"Team JNAS has two team leaders according to Beacon records. Jay and Nick. Jay has the ability to see things no one else can. The more you use your aura, the better he can track your movements. According to the psychoanalysis records of Beacon, he shows high stability and self control....But I know better. His weakness is his darker side....Push him far enough and he'll change his whole state of being. This change allows him to basically unlock differing parts of his brain. It's a physiological response that alters the chemical controls in his head, allowing him to react better, move quicker, strike harder. But if he goes too far.....Well, I'll let you decipher that one. The other one is Nick. He can heal himself at high rates. Teachers notes say that under stress, this ability can work better than normal....If you're going to wound him, you better go big, or he'll send you to a worse place than home. His weakness is that arm of his. Yes it's powerful, but it's much more difficult for him to protect that arm. It's his greatest weapon. Stop him from being able to use it, and you'll have a much easier time against him. The other two members are named Anna and Sasha. Sasha has incredible strength. She's a jack of all trades, very good at both close and long range. Her weakness is her own strength. Use it against her...Limit her movement, trip her up, put her in a situation where strength is irrelevant. She's too reliant on that power of hers. She's much easier to deal with if her power becomes her curse. Finally, there's Anna. There are a few notes about this one. Very quick, incredibly skilled. Don't make the mistake of thinking her weakness is her range. She'll crush you if you try that. Her weakness is her size. Teacher's notes say that she shows confidence in combat, almost looking like a different girl than her normally nervous self. She uses her entire body when wielding her poleaxe, using the staff body to swing it around herself with great skill and precision. When in longsword form, however, her focus is more narrow. She becomes less wide-moving, attacking mostly the upper body and limiting her opponent's capacity to move. While like this, you'll find she likes to be much more close and personal...Don't be intimidated by her skill though. She still struggles with her size, and low endurance. According to nurses records, she suffers from anorexia nervosa...I think you can understand what she's going through....And that means you know how to crush her." he finished. 

Iskelle had sat with rapt attention, intaking every word as gospel. She nodded every now and then, noting carefully what he said, likening it to the picture she had of each of them in her mind's eye. She clenched her fists and smiled to herself, blinking the last of her tears from her eyes.

"That's all I needed to hear." she said, gritting her teeth and standing.

He watched as she reached for the door, "Oh, by the way....." he said intentionally. Iskelle stopped short of the door. She turned back to the Watcher. He grinned at her, "The Proctor's notes also state that Anna's been practicing with Jay, one of the team leaders. Notes say that they're quite capable together. His Semblance can see through her illusions and trace the patterns of her martial arts, allowing him to use a number of tactics with her and only her. She's also stated to the nurses that he's been trying to get her to eat healthier. I believe that's how you and Leif became so close, is it not?.....Two of the strongest students in your year...." he stated. Iskelle suddenly became furious with him. Her aura flared, though she tried to control it. The room started to chill, and the floor became covered in a small layer of ice, with it also climbing up the walls. The Watcher chuckled lightly, "You may want to tread carefully." Iskelle yanked open the door, cracking the layer of ice that had formed and stormed out. It didn't matter...'He was wrong.' she thought. 'Leif and I have nothing in common with that soulless prick or the faunus whore.' she chanted to herself. She repeated it over and over in her head. She was tired of this. She was tired of living in the corner. She would destroy them now...She'd get out. With or without Leif. She walked out onto the streets and quickly left...From the cold darkness she came, and to it she would return...For now.

* * *

 

Mickey stood in the open door, looking over the room in silence. Light hadn't yet began to peek through the window, as it was just before dawn, 5:00 am. She smiled, glancing from one team member to another. Nick and Anna took hammocks, hung from the ceiling on either side of the door, ladders attached to the wall so they could get down easily. Jay and Sasha laid on the beds on either side of the window. Jay lay on his side, looking peaceful, despite the fact that he tended to move in his sleep, even sleepwalking on rare occasions. Sasha lay sprawled out on her bed, blanket only halfway covering her, snoring away. Anna looked like a kitten, curled up in her hammock, and Nick had one leg hanging off of the side of his, along with his right arm. She smiled to herself, shaking her head and crossing her arms. She considered for a moment just letting them sleep. Just today, letting them sleep in. After all, they did all look so adorable like this.....

Her smile turned a little darker, "Nah," she muttered silently. She reached back on her belt and pulled the trumpet off of the clip. She cleared her throat and breathed in deeply, bringing the instrument to her lips......And blasted out a quick rythmed tune. The booming sound reverberated off of the walls suddenly there was chaos. Nick immediately started and fell from his hammock. He shouted and hit the ground with a groan. Sasha nearly screamed a rather feminine scream for her personality, and and accidentally jumped from the bed, tripping immediately and falling face first next to Nick. Anna jumped up with a shriek, hair standing on end like a frightened cat, and nearly leaped from her hammock, slipping and falling to the ground in a crash. Jay didn't seem to react. Mickey frowned. She forgot that when he does get to sleep, he can sleep through tornados....She rolled her eyes and addressed the rest of the team, "Rise and shine, children!!!" she said with grin.

Sasha grumbled, "I'll rise, but I refuse to shine." she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Anna sat up and rubbed her eyes, yawning.

Nick stood up and made an indiscernible mumbling, followed by "What.......The fuck......" Sasha stood as Mickey took a step over to Anna, offering her hand. Anna looked up at Mickey for a moment before taking it and coming to her feet.

"Wake Jay, would you?" she asked with a kind voice. Anna nodded, still trying to keep her eyes open fully. She walked over to the side of Jay's bed and shook him slightly, muttering his name. Jay didn't budge.

Nick looked over at Mickey, "What's going on?" he asked.

Mickey laughed, "Today you and team SCRT begin emergency training with me. I'm going to go wake them up next. We're beginning with sparring. I'd like to get a better idea of all of your skills. Now, I'm off to wake your ally team. You've got approximately ten minutes, and I expect you in the private match gym. I've gotten Ozpin to reserve that room for us. Ten minutes. Be ready." she said simply, turning and walking from the room, closing the door behind her.

Sasha's eyes had become wide at realizing that she basically had to fight Mickey...

She hugged Nick, squeezing him nervously, "I told you!! She's gonna kill me...." she muttered.

Nick made a gurgling noise and tapped Sasha's back gently, "Crushing. Lungs. Stop." he muttered.

Sasha released him, "Oh gods, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..." she said.

Nick shook his head, coughing, "It's.......F-fine....." he said between wheezes.

Sasha lifted his chin and kissed him for a minute, "Still, I'm sorry..."

Nick smiled, breathing deeply and composing himself, "Like I said....It's fine." he said, briefly coughing again. Sasha looked over where Anna was still trying to wake Jay. She had climbed up next to him and had her knees on the bed, leaning over and poking his face, trying to wake him up. Sasha looked back at Nick, smirking. Then walked over to Mr. Gump's cage and removing the tortoise, who had just climbed up onto one of the rocks from the water. She lifted him out, his legs waving beneath him a little, dropping a little water as she did. She walked around to Jay's face as Anna watched, and put the tortoise in front of Jay's face. The tortoise made no move for a few seconds, then began moving towards Jay's face. Anna backed up off of his bed and watched. Mr. Gump went over and nudged at Jay's face, still slightly wet. Jay groaned and opened his eyes a little. He blinked and looked at the tortoise, who was walking next to Jay. Jay's eyes got wide and he rolled backwards, forgetting where the edge of the bed was, and falling off.

"Ouch..." he muttered. Sasha laughed and picked up Mr. Gump, carrying him around to Jay, and holding him in front of Jay. Jay glared at the tortoise for a minute.

"What, you don't like him?" Sasha asked. Jay grumbled, looking over at Anna, then looking away. Sasha returned him to his tank and replacing the heat lamp on the top.

Jay came to his feet and looked at the clock, "Guys.....It's fuckin' five in the morning. What are we doing up. Classes don't start for four hours." he said annoyed. Nick shook his head and Sasha face-palmed.

Anna cleared her throat, "W-well Mickey came in.... She woke us up with a trumpet, then went to do the same for team SCRT.

Jay's eyes got wide, "Oh Cas....Guys, we've got ten minutes. Let's go let's go let's go!!" he shouted, suddenly fully awake, grabbing his things.

Sasha and Anna shared a glance, "H-how did you know that?....." Anna asked.

"Because I've been in training with Mickey before. If we're not wherever it is in ten minutes, I assure you, we'll regret it." he said ominously. Everyone suddenly scrambled to get their things and go to get ready. They showered in minutes and scrambled to dry, having gotten special permission to access the showers early. The whole team dashed for the gym, all of them still clipping weapons to their belts.

Nick came up besides Jay, who ran at the front, "Hey Jay...I betcha I'll land a hit on Mickey before you do..."

Jay smirked while running, "Oh please. I bet I'll be the only one to land a hit, period." he retorted. The girls looked at each other while keeping up, a little astounded at their taunts.

Nick chuckled again, "I'll take that bet." he said, reaching over. Jay shook his hand as they came to a halt before the door to the gym. Sasha sighed, a little worried. Anna patted her on the back. Jay and Nick simply looked on, now much more confident with their bets made. They felt ready....

* * *

 

Jay and Nick kicked open the door, in their best imitation of Mickey. Team SCRT already waited inside for them. The twins still looked kinda groggy though. Mickey stood against the wall, her large basket on the bench next to her. Nick and Jay looked at each other, then back to Mickey.

"Finally. You kids cut it close...."she said, pushing off of the wall. "But on the bright side, you look more awake than your allies here. Alright. You guys will go first. Rub the smoke from your eyes, children.....It's time to show what you're made of." she said seriously. The whole team looked back and forth. Team SCRT went to sit on the bench next to the basket. No one knew what was inside, but it filled the room with the most delightful of smells...Mickey pulled her fans from her belt and spread them wide in her hands, walking with a swagger into the middle of the room, as the lights clicked on, filling the room with their light. She stopped, putting the back of her hands on her hips, fans outward from her body.

Jay frowned, "Hey....Didn't those fans have spiked blades on them?" he asked.

Mickey chuckled, "These black knobs on the bottom can retract the blades into the spokes of the fan. I don't want to slice you kids up, do I...." she said. Jay shrugged. Everyone on the team pulled their weapons free, even Jay.

"Wait, so we're just gonna......Jump right into it?" Sasha asked to no one in particular.

Mickey chuckled again, "Exactly." she said. Suddenly, she crouched and lunged towards them. Out of instinct, Nick threw his hand up, switching to the fire canister and letting loose a blast. Mickey didn't even flinch, waiving her fans below her and leaping high into the air, clear over the blast. She turned over in the air and brought her leg down towards Nick. Nick began to move and Jay moved to take his place, crossing his tonfas over his head. Mickey came down with all her force, but Jay stood strong. The team scattered, Sasha and Anna going right and Nick going left. Sasha raised her blade and fired towards Mickey, who leaned back with her leg against Jay's arms. The shots flew over her, as she kept herself supported with small funnels of wind under her fans. Mickey flipped back off of Jay as Anna moved in close. Jay moved forward to join her as Mickey landed on her feet. Nick and Sasha stayed back from Mickey on either side, making sure to keep track of the positions of their teammates and aiming their long ranged weapons at Mickey. Mickey glanced around at them readied herself.

Anna came in first, taking a wide swing at her, forcing her to jump back. Nick and Sasha let loose as she backed into their sights. Nick had switched to the ice canister, hoping to hit her at least once and slow her down. But Mickey didn't seem to have trouble, ducking Nick's shot, which flew past Sasha, and waving one fan to blast away Sasha's attacks. Jay jumped over Anna, also firing towards Mickey as he landed, but to no avail. Mickey's movements were set and mobile, dodging each shot only by a small amount, just skirting their range, making it easy to redirected her movement at a moment's notice. Jay got in close to her, letting his eyes turn gold, being careful to use a reserved attack form. He lashed out as though he was punching, using quick motions and quickly returning to his original stance, walking forward as she walked backward. Nick and Sasha also walked in the direction that they moved, carefully watching Jay's movement patterns and Mickey's response patterns. They continued to fire consecutive shots, alternating as Jay's movements signaled them too. Mickey didn't look phased. She deflected Jay's attacks, using his momentum in tandem with her winds to move in swift, tight circles, waving Sasha's attack off one by one and dodging around Nick's shots, coming full circle to Jay's attacks, blocking with her body facing towards one of her long ranged assailants and using the small motions to simply blow Jay's swings aside. They were getting nowhere fast...Jay suddenly ducked back, signalling a formation change. Anna came up over him, switching her weapon to long sword form, moving towards Mickey. Nick and Sasha moved to their new positions. Sasha kept back, moving to a new position while Jay backed up and watched, resting on one knee and opening his Semblance to it's full power. Anna moved precisely, keeping her ears perked to listen for instructions from Jay. Nick did the same as he came up close on Mickey's side. Mickey closed her fans and slipped them into their holsters, pulling them out again, now refilled with wind dust from the inside of the holsters. Anna engaged Mickey, who now used her fans much more actively in the face of Anna's skill. Nick came up on her side, joining in with his own blade. Anna and Nick's blades collided off of eachother's, bouncing back towards Mickey, who blocked and deflected each blow and jab. Sasha watched Jay for his signals to shoot as she moved in a circle around the two teammates. Every now and then Jay would mutter things to Nick and Anna about Mickey's movements. Suddenly Mickey released one of her fans and lashed out towards Sasha, Sasha gasped and jumped away from the attack. Nick tried to take the opportunity, Mickey stepped back from Nick's slash and suddenly the metal cord that had kept the fan attached was wrapping around Nick's body, binding his arms. Mickey flicked her hand upward, and the fan unleashed more wind dust, easily heaving Nick from the ground. Anna moved in to Nick's position in the formation, hoping to take advantage of the momentary occupation with Nick. Jay saw Mickey's movements though and began to move immediately. Sasha broke her position and shot towards Mickey, who deflected all of the attacks with a flourished spin. Nick, still attached to the cord, was pulled in a circle above them, and slammed into the wall. Mickey's cord came loose though, and before he could fall to the ground, he took the vantage point, jamming his blade into the wall and hanging on, aiming towards Mickey with his hand. But Mickey's next attack was already coming.

After her spin, she released both fans, one towards Anna, and one towards Sasha. Jay attached the bayonet endings and jumped towards the attack headed for Anna, crossing his arms in front of his chest, and throwing them out, deflecting her attack. The attack towards Sasha struck her sword, unleashing more wind dust and tossing Sasha back to the wall like a doll. The cords retracted as Jay and Anna moved in, Anna switching her weapon back to poleaxe form. Jay leaped over Mickey, while Anna attacked directly. Anna's axe twisted around her arms and body at incredible speeds, but it didn't seem to be enough, because Mickey didn't even bother with her Semblance, instead parrying each and every swing with surgical precision. Jay began attacking from the other side, but Mickey clapped her fans closed and replaced the wind dust, immediately drawing them again and releasing them, letting the cords extend out. Jay's attacks bounced off of the cords as she swung them around her body, letting them wrap around her, then unwrap with gaining speed until the lashed out with more force than Rachel's whip. The more she turned, the more wind seem to gather, and the harder it was for Jay and Anna to stand their ground as Mickey wrapped her cords around the heel of Anna's staff and manipulated her own movements, supporting her momentum even more. Suddenly Mickey jumped out from their attacks as a blast of ice dust struck the ground in between them. Jay and Anna jumped back...Right into the path of Mickey's cords, which wrapped around the two of them, releasing more wind dust and lifting them both from the ground. Nick pulled his sword free and began to move towards Mickey, but Sasha made it their first, trying to distract Mickey from finishing Jay and Anna with her attacks. But Mickey turned in a circle around the attack, kicking Sasha on the arm and throwing her from her feet, claymore and all, towards the opposite wall. Jay and Anna were thrown about in the air as Mickey came to a stop, Nick moving close with his sword ready. Mickey grinned, throwing her arms out and bringing her leg up through the air. The kick struck Nick in the chest, slamming him back with enough force to go right through the huge block of ice from his blast and right into the wall, which shattered with the force. Jay and Anna struck the walls on either side of the room, and the cords loosened, letting them both drop to the ground. Mickey sighed, "I'm calling the match. You guys can't fight anymore. 

Team SCRT all began to clap, the twins even standing up and smiling brightly. Mickey turned and bowed dramatically as Team JNAS came to their feet. She walked over to Nick, who was still coughing from losing her breath after Mickey's high-kick. Mickey then immediately ran over to Anna, who was having trouble standing.

She took her arms and helped her to her feet, "Why didn't you use your Semblance during that fight?" she asked gently.

Anna coughed and breathed heavily, "Would it honestly have made a difference? You saw through the attack patterns of our entire team....None of us even got close to you." she sputtered through her breaths. Mickey picked her up and supported her onto her feet, helping her over to the bench. Nick went over to help Sasha up, who was supporting herself on her blade. He put his arm around her shoulder, helping her stand. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to get herself in order. Jay had pushed himself to his feet and was doing his best to remain composed, walking slowly over to join the group as they sat down. They were all still breathing a little hard from their sparring match. Mickey stood in front of them, hands on her hips.

"You guys did well...Your whole team supported eachother and your formations were, well, top-notch. Each of you has structural weaknesses in your form however, and you tend to leave small gaps in your movements that can be exploited with enough precision." she stated.

Jay coughed, "You and Xellos have been the only ones to even  **have** that much skill so far..." he responded.

Mickey shook her head, "That's not the point. And if it was, guess what....It's Xellos who you're preparing to fight. He and his lot aren't sitting still. They're not waiting for you. You're waiting for them, which gives them the advantage. And you have to be prepared for that. So, I'm going to be pushing you guys to overcome these weaknesses..." she said. The team glanced at eachother. Mickey stayed silent for a minute. Then she walked over to her basket. She opened it up and pulled out four boxes bound in cloth, which she handed out to Team JNAS.

Jay smiled, "You made us breakfast?" he asked.

Mickey rolled her eyes, "Oh please....You saw that coming and you know it." she responded. Jay chuckled, shaking his head and undoing the knot. Mickey walked over to Team SCRT, "Alright guys....You're up." she said. Team SCRT looked at eachother for a second.

The twins leaped from their seats, "YEAH!!! LET'S GO!!! This is gonna be so great!!" they said together. Sam stood and extended a hand to Rachel. She smiled and brushed the hair from her face, taking it and standing up. "You ready?" he asked. She nodded in response and they all went to the middle of the floor, facing Mickey. Team JNAS sat waiting for the match to begin while eating.

Nick nudged Jay's side, "Dude.....I couldn't land a hit before you..." He muttered.

Jay rolled his eyes, "None of us landed a hit, period...." he responded.

Nick shrugged, "So then who wins?"

"Neither of us. We both lost. And as we're both the losers, both of us must deal with the consequences...." Jay said.

"And those are?...." Nick trailed off. Jay considered for a moment.

"We'll figure those out later, after this match...." he said. Nick sighed and went back to eating, watching in anticipation of the first move....

* * *

 

Team SCRT began to deploy their weapons, Sam activating his exo-skeleton, Rachel pulling free her whip, and the twins arming themselves with their batons. They all stood in a triangle around Mickey, who glanced around casually at them. The Dragoon Twins didn't separate, but Sam and Rachel did, taking up positions on either side of Mickey's view, with the Twins at her back. Mickey chuckled, standing with the back of her hand, still holding her fan, on one hip, the other lose at her side. Rachel and Sam exchanged a look, and Mickey grinned at this. Rachel lashed out suddenly, slamming the whip into the ground where Mickey had just stood. She had instead leaped back, flipping easily through the air and behind the twins, who immediately activated their semblance and engaged her. Their batons lashed out in combos as they meticulously attacked, moving over and around one another in dizzying circles and arcs, but nothing connected as Mickey easily out-predicted them, discerning their patterns and blocking their strikes with her fans, dodging the attacks from the other, then countering at whichever twin wasn't attacking, making the other stop and guard for their relative. Suddenly Mickey leaped back from them as Rachel's whip, which seemed not to catch anyone off guard/ Mickey's arcing leap was interrupted by another quick attack from Rachel, which Mickey backflipped under, right into the path of Sam's attack. Without flinching, Mickey ducked his slash and released a single fan, turning and immediately wrapping the cord around Sam, lifting him from the ground as she turned and swung hard with her fans, blowing away the Twins, and Rachel's next attack. Sam crashed hard into the ground as the fan released in a downward motion, using wind dust to toss him down. Mickey turned without missing a beat and ran towards Rachel, who had recovered, unlike the twins, who were all the way across the room, thanks to Mickey's gale. Rachel lashed out, as did Mickey with her free fan. The wind dust activated again, and Mickey's fan, with the cord, wrapped around Rachel's attack as though it was caught in a heavy wind. Cord wrapped around whip as Mickey got in close. Rachel panicked and released her whip, which remained trapped by Mickey's cord. Mickey close the fan in her hand and slammed the head against Rachel's raised arms. Wind dust activated again, and Rachel was tossed back by a solid field of air. Mickey uncoiled her cord and caught Rachel's whip, turning back to Sam, who was moving towards her. She lashed out with lightning speed, slamming the head of the whip into his chest and tossing him back into the wall like she did Nick. 

The twins tried getting close, but Mickey just rolled her eyes and swung her fan again, but the twins took eachother's hands and leaped, dodging the blast, and each using only one baton, came down hard on Mickey, who guarded with the cord of her single fan, absorbing the electricity, and blowing away the fire. They released eachother's hands and got on either side of Mickey, who began to turn on her heel, using rhythmic movements to block each of their attacks, one after another, dodging and guarding. Rachel's whip in hand, she spun, lashing out at both of them and knocking them back, then turning as Sam came up, slamming it against his arms, which he'd raised over his head to guard, and stood his ground, getting in close. He swung his scimitars, as Mickey dodged back, over and over again, not bothering to counter, stepping back out of his range with each swing, as he stepped closer and closer, backing her towards the wall. Rachel tried to intervene in her movements, but Mickey quickly turned and lashed out, wrapping the whip around her and pushing her back with each step. Rachel gasped as she was crushed with the force of the whip. Her aura flared, and Mickey's hand twitched, unfurling the whip and almost making her trip, but she rolled backwards and up to her feet again with ease. When she reached the corner of the room however, she leaped up, and put her heel on the wall, swinging with her fan and throwing herself forward off the wall, across the room. She turned as she landed, tossing the whip after activating the rest of the earth crystal, tossing it towards the twins with the weight of a rockfall. They were thrown back with the force and slammed against the wall. The crystal shattered, breaking open the hatch that contained it and scattering a huge cloud of dirt and dust. The cloud obscured team SCRT. Mickey could hear the team trying to organize themselves, but it was over now. Mickey took both of her fans in hand and scattered the remainder of the dust off of them, then closed them and quickly slipped them into the pouches on her thighs. Wind dust scattered off of them as she opened them, arms crossed over her chest. She threw them out, unleashing one mighty gale. The cloud of earth vanished like steam in a tornado, gales filled with shining teal aura clearly visible as Team SCRT was caught in the winds, thrown about the room, slamming into the ceiling and walls before the winds scattered, and Team SCRT fell to the ground, defeated. Team JNAS sat on the bench, speechless at Mickey's perfect precision...Not even a breeze blew over them during the storm. 

Team JNAS stood and clapped vigorously, laughing a little at the sheer astoundment of Mickey's performance.

Mickey looked over at them and sighed, "Why don't you help your allies up? I gave them a bit of a more serious beating." she muttered, gesturing towards the team and releasing the magnetic clips on the wires, slipping the fans into their pouches. Everyone on the team immediately stood and went to help Team SCRT to stand and walk to the bench. Mickey got the rest of the boxes from her basket and handed them out to Team SCRT. "Alright.....I have completely assessed you guys....Team SCRT, you guys have a tendency to be a lot less organized. You guys certainly may have incredible raw skill, but you're not applying it properly, and that's a complete waste." she explained. Team SCRT looked back and forth. The twins didn't look all that attentive, instead focusing on eating. Rachel looked a little disinterested, but Sam was paying good attention. Mickey sighed and sat down in between the two teams. "Alright....I'm a good person. You guys can go do your classes and have the rest of the day to prepare." she said casually, leaning back against the wall. Jay's eyes suddenly got wide and he he looked down.

Sam arched an eyebrow, "Prepare for what?" he asked.

Mickey chuckled, "Your real training." she said ominously. Jay gulped and Team JNAS looked at him in surprise.

Mickey laughed again, "So go on now!! And be prepared." she said.

Rachel looked up, annoyed, "But....You woke us up......So damn early.....If you were going to give us the day to prepare after this....Testing....Then why did you wake us up like that?!" she said, more annoyed with each second.

Mickey smirked, "So you know what time to be up and in here tomorrow. I won't bother with the wake up call. Instead.....You'll just face the consequences." This seemed to shut Rachel up. The teams got up to go to class. Jay and Nick talked about potential consequences for their bet after their homework assignments were complete. Anna and Sasha just played with Mr. Gump the whole time. But everyone agreed to be in bed earlier for Mickey's training the next day. Only Jay seemed to know what these mysterious consequences were, but he refused to mention them, just saying that they wouldn't be late and muttering to himself. Nick was careful to set his clock early, so to get up and have enough time to prepare....For the morning.

* * *

 

The next morning, Team JNAS woke as early as they could manage in order to get to the match gym in time. Jay and Nick had gotten up especially early, having decided their punishments for losing their bet. When Anna and Sasha woke up, they looked over to see Jay's coat had been colored neon pink and yellow, in criss-crossing stripes...Nick had painted his sword pink and his arm yellow in neon colors as well, and both of them had apparently sprinkled copious amounts of glitter on the other. Anna and Sasha couldn't contain their laughter at the sight of it. Nick put his prosthetic arm on one hip and held his sword in his other, puffing out his chest with pride. Jay sat a corner, red faced, mumbling angrily to himself and trying to hide. Anna held Sasha's shoulder for support through her laughter.

"You look like a fuckin' rainbow together!!!" Sasha shouted, tears in her eyes. Jay mumbled a bit more furiously and tried to keep his eyes closed. Jay had apparently taken his opportunity with the paint to paint the body of his tonfas a deeper blue. A shade he'd found hidden away in the shop, not used often, but it had caught his attention. Although they were curious about Mickey's mysterious punishment, none of them wanted to have to suffer it.  Especially with Jay's warnings. They had given themselves plenty of time this morning though, and walked instead of ran to the gym. Sasha continued with bouts of random laughter every now and then at her boyfriend's fate. But it didn't seem to matter to Nick, who was just happy to be see Sasha laugh. Jay walked a couple of steps back from the group, trying to keep himself less visible. Anna looked back every now and then, still giggling furiously. This only seemed to anger Jay more. He hated people laughing at him. He'd had enough of that when he was young. As soon as they got to the gym, they found Mickey sitting crosslegged on the head of a Spider Defense Droid. She had her arms crossed and grinned when they walked in. She glanced back and forth between Jay and Nick.

"What happened? You two lose a bet with the girls or something?" she chuckled. Jay and Nick looked between eachother. Jay walked over to the corner of the room and sat down, arms crossed, as well as his legs.

Nick looked up at Mickey, "No....A bet with eachother. I bet that I would land a hit on you before him....And he bet he'd be the only one to hit you, period.....Turns out we both fucked up....So this is what we agreed on." he said, not phased by this at all. Mickey chuckled, then broke out in thunderous laughter.

"Oh man...That ain't gonna go over well with this guy.....Light motion spectrum sensors, and you two are shining beacons of 'look at me, I'm a fuckin' target!!'....You're gonna have a hard time." she said, clearly amused with herself.....Jay scoffed, still very much annoyed. Team SCRT arrived a few minutes later, almost cutting their time limit. When they walked in, the twins tripped over themselves at the sight of Nick's arm and sword, then looked over towards Jay in the corner...Both of them turned a brilliant shade of red trying to conceal their laughter....Rachel didn't bother though, and instead laughed with Sasha, pointing at both of them.

Sam chuckled and waved his hand at the girls, "Hey...Why don't you two lay off for a bit...Look at him. His eyes are almost as red as his face, let's give 'em a break." he said, nice as ever. Rachel snorted, still laughing, but trying not to. Sasha didn't care and just laughed.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I don't care anyway, they can laugh all they want...And Jay's just angry because it's his precious coat, and because he's a fuckin' child." he enunciated the last part of his sentence, looking intentionally over at Jay. Jay narrowed his eyes, clearly more red filled than before. Nick shook his head, turning to Mickey. "So when do we begin?" he said. She grinned and suddenly the Spider droid started up.

The room was pure chaos as the Spider droid let loose upon the teams. Mickey was now standing on top of the thing, fans in hand, dust blasting as she turned every now and then, actively using her Semblance and protecting the droid with cord and wind. Even with all eight of them in the fray, they struggled. The spider droid attacked furiously, seeming especially obsessed with Nick and Jay, just like Mickey said it would be. It began climbing up the walls as Mickey casually walked to a position on it's head where she wouldn't fall.

"How is this helping train us?!" Sasha shouted at Mickey.

"By interacting with your fellow team, you shall come to have a much more comprehensive understanding of your own weaknesses, as well as theirs. This exercise is a demonstration to yourselves of what is wrong with your styles, and by interacting, you will gain insight on how you can fix these weaknesses." she shouted over the droids blast. Jay hadn't yet reached for his weapons, and instead seemed content dodging this way and that with an easy trot, weaving through the attacks and his teammates. The twins dodged through the attacks, trying to coordinate their movements through the six others in the room. After a few minutes with the spider droid climbing around the room on the walls, Nick was fed up.

"Screw this fuckery!!" he said, switched to his shiny new earth dust canister. He slammed his palm to the ground and the earth shook, suddenly a spire came up off the wall, shoving the spider droid off.

Jay's mouth fell open, "WHAT THE......WHAT THE FUCK, NICK?! WHY HAVEN'T YOU BEEN USING THAT?!!" he shouted angrily.

Nick rolled his eyes, jumping away as the droid came to it's feet, "Because Grant only recently installed an earth dust ready canister!!!" he shouted.

"So why didn't you use it  **yesterday**?!?!" Jay shouted back.

"Dude, did you see Mickey's motherfuckin' moves?! She could practically fly!! No amount of earth dust was gonna touch that." he said.

Jay's mouth open and closed several times in shock, "Holy fucking Castiel." he said to himself. Mickey looked over at him, slightly concerned, still protecting the droid. She kinda wanted to tell him to step out and meditate...In her thought process, Rachel's whip suddenly crashed against the side of the thing, destroying one of it's guns.

"YES!!!" she shouted. Suddenly, everyone was renewed with strength and will. Jay reached for his weapons and ran forward. The twins ran over to Sam and jumped up onto his hands, one on each, and with his exoskeleton, he easily threw them upward onto the droid. Mickey's attention had been drawn away by Nick and Sasha's attacks, which she defended while also trying to fend off Rachel's mighty whip. The twins landed next to her, and began to keep her busy for a few moments. Jay ran past Nick and Sasha, raising two fingers in display, pointing them towards the ground. Nick nodded and ran forward with him. He slammed his palm against the ground as Jay slammed his tonfas into one of the spider droids legs, leaving a dent, and pushing it under the thing. Nick's earth dust created a spire under the other leg, destroying the joint and making it fall to the side. As this occurred, Sam whistled with two fingers in his lips, and the twins jumped off of the droid while he waved Rachel to his position. Jay flipped back as the spider droid came crashing down. Jay looked back at Anna and raised three fingers, then four fingers, waving them towards Mickey. Sasha and Anna nodded and ran forward to Mickey, who'd just recovered from jumping off of the spider droid. Together they attack furiously.

Nick shouted to Sam, "Give those two back up!!"

"On it!!" Sam shouted back, nodding to the twins, who ran to support Anna and Sasha. Meanwhile the spider droid struggled and tried to stand, blasting at the remaining four, who were moving together now. The twins alternated attacks with Anna and Sasha, continuously pushing Mickey back. Rachel's whip cracked, destroying the remaining guns as Sam jumped up and stabbed his blades into the joint on it's abdomen, keeping it still while Jay waved Nick over. The droid, immobilized, struggled as Nick and Jay walked casually up to it. It's sensors went crazy as they got close. Jay looked over the thing and tapped it on the head where it's sensors were.

"Here. This point is adequate." he said simply. Nick nodded and raised his arm, switching to the lighting canister. He slammed his palm against the spot Jay tapped and let loose with all the dust he had. The droid surged and screamed a metallic scream as it's circuitry burned to a crisp. Sam's metal was made to be able to insulate electricity, so he only had to apply minimum aura to protect himself from the free flowing electricity.

Suddenly, the thing was still and they heard clapping. They looked over and saw Mickey, clapping, still blocked off by the twins, Sasha, and Anna, all of whom were breathing very heavily. Mickey didn't look like she'd broken a sweat, however. She chuckled and walked to the middle of the room.

"Very good....Let's dispose of that. It won't ever work again with that amount of electricity used to fry it. Alright....That was good. You guys have earned a breakfast break. When you get back from that, we're going to move to individual sparring until classes start. You guys will be sparring with your original partners, and I'll be walking the room interrupting you with help.....As you can probably guess, we'll be doing that for a few hours to help you guys with technique." she said. Everyone smiled and highfived eachother, even Jay having seemed to forget his humiliation at his colors after being filled with the pride of a victory. They strutted proudly through the halls together towards the cafeteria. Jay and Nick walked side by side, taking in the stares they got from other students. Other people laughed occasionally, but they didn't care. One group of students attempted to make fun of them, to which they responded by promptly knocking them down, dragging them over, and tossing them through the nearest windows, both chuckling and dusting off their hands. As they were eating, Jay looked over at Anna, and nudged her side, gesturing to her that she should eat. Her face turned red and she tried to follow his advice. Sasha smirked and nudged her side playfully, making her turn more red. The red had vanished from Jay's eyes and he'd stopped muttering to himself. Team SCRT ate with them, and Sasha occasionally shuddered at the twins, who still had a habit of moving in synchronization. She occupied herself by occasionally muttering to Anna about ships. They went to their morning classes, which Mickey had mentioned they do. They wouldn't want to let their grades drop. After that though, they headed back to the gym and split off into groups. Each team now acted more and more like old friends than temporary allies. They laughed with eachother as they sparred casually, just showing off their movement patterns and styles. Mickey walked around them, looking carefully at the moves, and interjecting sometimes to show them a better way of doing a particular move, or to show them glitches in their stance or attacks, carefully demonstrating the alternative, but being careful not to hurt them. As she did, Jay and Nick watched her once or twice, commenting on how motherly she looked while being a badass teacher. Alice came by later to drop off lunch, as Mickey preferred they stay put. They all sat on the benches and spoke amongst themselves in one big conversation, even joking about Nick and Jay's color scheme today. It seemed for all the world that things were perfect for once....Even letting them forget their troubled situation...Even letting them forget that death could knock at any moment. They all felt it, but no one let it take them, instead they chose to enjoy their training...Enjoy the time they had, even if they may not have it for long. Or perhaps....Especially since they may not have had it for long....

* * *

 

Near a week past from Mickey's first training sessions with Teams JNAS and SCRT. Sometimes Mickey was kinder than others, putting them through courses and exercises until they dropped, but always to pick them back up again. Team SCRT picked up on Jay's idea to number their teammates based on their team's acronym and to use gestures to direct movement and combinations. It became very easy to coordinate team efforts. Each team had a lot in common, members with special sight and very high skill, one each with exceptional bodies, and one with incredibly destructive capacity. They gained the ability to move as units and soon as a single force. Each team grew accustomed to the other's members, and ceased competing with eachother. It wasn't difficult for them. They all had to accept that competing like that in their situation was more than asinine...It was potentially deadly. So they put aside competing thoughts and instead focused on boosting eachother's abilities and using their skills effectively. Mickey commented on their ability during their last spar, when both teams combined to claim their first victory over the Storm. It was an incredible accomplishment, and Mickey couldn't help but applaud, and give them a well deserved day off. Everyone was more than willing to do what they wanted with their day off. Sam and Rachel ran off somewhere after a conversation with Ozpin. The twins inquired about it, but they were assured that their teammates were going nowhere dangerous. Tia and Chris decided to stay on campus and do something they hadn't done since they left for Beacon....Play pranks on anyone who crossed their path. Team JNAS however, requested that Mickey and Alice take them into town. Mickey only went with to drop them off, and only because she and Alice were going to go grab some private time themselves...Everyone on the team knew what that meant, but no one was going to say it out loud. It wasn't their business after all. But Sasha and Nick had plans of their own for when they got into town. It was somewhere near 6:15 pm when they left, deciding that it would be best to actually attend class that day. Sasha glanced over at Nick every now and then on the flight over, trying not to let Jay or Anna see them smirk.

When they got off, Mickey waved the kids off as the hatch closed and Alice flew off. They walked through the streets nonchalantly, chatting about the training. As they walked they saw three of the members of Team RWBY walking through the streets. All of them recognized Ruby, the youngest student this year, and her sister, Yang, along with the notable heiress, Weiss Schnee. They all called out the name of their final team member, Blake. Nick shook his head and Anna sighed.

"What is that now, three days since that Blake girl's been missing?" Anna asked, her voice filled with sympathy.

"Yes...The faunus girl who can make momentary copies of herself...." everyone looked at Jay.

"And how do you know she was a faunus?" Sasha asked.

Jay looked at her and tapped his nose, pushing his glasses up, "Please. Bow over cat ears? Gotta do better to fool these eyes." he said with pride evident in his voice. Anna sighed. Part of her wished she'd thought of something like that...The other part didn't care to hide who she was.

The team looked at eachother, "Alright...So,-" Jay began, only to be interrupted by Sasha, who grabbed Nick's arm.

"Uh, actually...You two should probably go grab the food for Mr. Gump. Me and Nick had something to go collect at his mechanic's place, and we'd figure we'd go to dinner separately, given that the two are on opposite sides of town, and who knows how long it'll take." she said quickly, Nick nodding in immediate agreement. Anna immediately caught on to what was happening and turned a little red, eyes widening and looking up at Sasha, who grinned encouragingly.

Jay frowned, "What? What business do you have with that guy now? And why aren't we splitting up like last time?" he asked a little annoyed.

Nick cleared his throat, "Because we split up that time last, yes. But last time we fought Leif and Iskelle, these were the pairings we used, and we won. If we  **do** get into an encounter, we'll want to have a solid pairing. And besides Jay, it doesn't matter. I mean for fucks sake, can't I have some time with Sasha? Let us go get a fuckin' dinner together. It ain't gonna kill anyone." he said. Jay was taken aback by this.

Anna stuttered, trying to think about what was happening, but before she could, Jay sighed, "You're right. It is fair. Alright then. Go do whatever it is and then get some food. Anna and I will do the same." he said. Nick tried and succeeded to conceal his astonishment at Jay's obliviousness. Anna stuttered some more and Sasha grinned even brighter.

After a minute or two, no one could really tell, Nick cleared his throat again, "Alright....At about eight thirty, we'll meet up here again. We'll call when we're done at Grant's. Or you call us if you finish first..." he said. After that, he nodded to Jay, turned, and walked off with Sasha.

Jay turned to Anna, who still stood trying to collect her chaotic thoughts. He lightly tapped her shoulder, bringing her back to the present. She looked up at Jay, praying that her face hadn't turned too red. Jay didn't say anything and instead gestured towards their destination. Anna shook her head clear and nodded. They walked in silence. Jay said nothing, but he was quite content with that. The silence was suffocating Anna though. She hated walking along with nothing but her own thoughts to listen to. She wondered what Jay was thinking, glancing over at him. His face didn't give her any clues though. He had caught her staring though and considered her thoughts, knowing that this silence must not be pleasant for her, and decided to speak up.

"So...About dinner...." he muttered.

Anna's heart lifted and she stood straighter, "Oh...Uh...Y-yeah...Did you have some place in mind?" she asked.

Jay shook his head, "Several places come to mind and each is as acceptable as the next. I don't have much preference for things like food. What kind of food do you prefer?" he asked.

Anna shrugged, "I like a lot of things equally. But I don't know....Just a simple meal is perfect.....I'm much happier with simpler things. No crowds, no extraneous noise..." she said.

Jay thought for a moment, "I know a good pizza place...They're very welcoming to students. And they don't normally have many customers. A very quiet place..." he muttered.

Anna suddenly realized that he was trying his hardest to be considerate and looked at him, "Sounds perfect..." she said, smiling. He also smiled for the first time in a while. Suddenly the silence wasn't so torturous to either of them. Jay reached out to open the door to the pet store where they'd get food for Mr. Gump, before he noticed a reflection in the window. Suddenly Jay's hand stopped short as he stared into the reflections in the windows of the intersection...

Anna bumped into him and looked confused, "What's up?" she asked simply. Jay's hand shook as he turned and looked across the street, at the corner on the opposite side of the road, where he saw the familiar reflection go. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes had turned gold. Anna suddenly got serious, "Jay, what's wrong..." she asked. He took her hand suddenly and dashed across the street with her in tow, careful to avoid oncoming traffic.  He stopped at the corner and pressed her to the wall with him. Anna's heart had begun to beat now, "Jay. What is happening?!" she asked a little more insistently.

Jay looked back at her, "Change in plan...Call Nick, tell him we're heading towards the pier." he said in the voice she'd come to recognize as his leading voice. She pulled out her scroll, but before she opened it, Jay began to turn the corner.

But Anna grabbed his collar, pulling him back and against the wall again, "Last time!! What's happening? Why are we headed for the pier?!" she demanded.

"Because...As best I can tell....That's where Iskelle Femmaren is headed." he said.

* * *

 

Nick and Sasha walked along, laughing about their ploy. Sasha had a light step as they moved towards Grant's shop.

"I can't wait to see how they are together!!" she chuckled.

Nick shook his head, smiling brightly, "Ah, shipping. It's a glorious thing..." he muttered playfully.

Sasha giggled like a child, "Hehe, I bet by the time they call, they'll be laughing and holding hands and....Being cute!!" she said, jumping up and down lightly.

Nick put his hand to his chin and nodded in consideration, "She'd certainly be welcome change for his introversion...I think she'd break him out of his odd ticks, as well. He's much more open and even calm, with her." he said.

Sasha put her hand to her chin also, imitating Nick and nodding, "Plus, he seems to be quite a help to her as well. She doesn't seem like she feels lonely when he's around, and she also seems to be doing better, physically..." she said, also imitating his tone. Nick crossed the street to Grant's shop with Sasha trotting next to him.

"So basically....They're pretty much perfect for eachother." he said as he reached out and opened the door.

Sasha walked in, "Why thank you, gentlemen." she said in a mock tone, but smiling brightly. The shop was still brightly lit even at this time. Nick walked in behind her and they stood waiting before the large table. The bell rang and there was a shuffling from the back. The door opened and Grant walked in, pulling off a pair of goggles and revealing the defined difference between his face that was covered in oil residue, and what was covered by goggle. He smiled at Nick, walking around the table and reaching out. Nick also reached out and the shook hands for a minute.

"Three visits in the same two months, you're certainly busy these days...." he said.

Nick shook his head, "You know what I'm here for, Grant...I wouldn't bother you otherwise." he said, keeping a friendly tone.

Grant nodded, "And just as well. I've been busy lately....And whenever you walk in, I know I'll get even busier....But that's also just as well. You pay fantastic, and you tip generously." he said, chuckling. Sasha's scroll started buzzing with a call. She pulled it out and opened it slightly, showing it was Anna on the line. She frowned...'Done already, you two? I'll let her leave a message...' she thought, closing the scroll and putting it back into her pocket.

He turned his attention to Sasha, who'd been looking around with fascination at all the things on the shelves. He took a rag off the counter next to him and started cleaning off his hands, using his incredibly large bottle of sanitizer. Sasha turned her attention back to him as well.

"So, who's the hot blonde?" he asked.

Nick put his arm around Sasha's shoulder and pulled her close, "Sasha's my girlfriend...Already taken..." he said, smiling smugly at Grant.

Grant chuckled, looking down at his hands for a moment before tossing the rag back onto the counter, "Too bad....But hey. You two look happy. So that's what matters...Besides...You know me...She ain't my type." he said. Sasha raised an eyebrow and looked at Nick.

He looked down at her for a moment, "Oh, he's asexual....He doesn't feel....Any attraction to just about anyone he meets..." he explained.

Grant shook his head, "Not a one." he called over his shoulder as he walked back to the door. Nick followed him towards the back and stopped, still with Sasha in arm. They heard Grant shuffling around in the back for a minute or two, before he came out and produced a package, bound in worn cloth. He handed it tentatively to Nick.

"You kept the original cloth....Thanks..." he said, looking the thing over. Grant nodded, then gestured for him to open it. Nick handed it carefully to Sasha, who felt the weight of something heavy and metal. Nick walked over and washed his hands off with the sanitizer. He walked back over and turned the package over in Sasha's hands, undoing the knot, then removing the cloth. Sasha looked down to see that she was holding an large ornate handgun. She looked the thing over as Nick carefully lifted it up, examining the large handgun in his palm. Sasha watched with fascination at the design. Nick ejected the clip, which came down but didn't come all the way out, instead revealing the dust crystal fitted into place in the slot. He pushed it back up into the handle and looked over the silver and black color, with gold designs inlaid into the handle and sides of the barrel. The symbol carved into the base of the handle was clearly not Nick's though...Sasha raised an eyebrow, but didn't mention it.

Nick grinned and turned to Grant, pulling out his scroll and handing it to Grant after opening his private bank account, "Why don't you take what you think is fair..." he muttered, still enamored with the handgun, which he lifted and aimed for a few moments, looking down the and watching the small laser cross aim move around on the wall. Grant returned his scroll to him and reached over to the counter, pulling a holster off and handing it to Nick as well. Nick put his scroll away and clipped the holster to his belt on the opposite side of his sheath and placed the gun into it. He smiled more brightly and folded the cloth, placing it in his pocket.

He nodded to Grant, who nodded back, "Huntsman...Huntress..." he said politely, nodding once to each of them as they walked out.

Nick walked along with Sasha, with a renewed spring in his step, smiling brightly, Sasha walking beside him. Sasha watched his happy movement for a minute, smiling to herself before clearing her throat and taking his hand in hers.

"So....That gun....You just wanted something new?" she asked.

Nick looked at her, "Oh, no...I've had this gun for years...It was my real first weapon. Before this sword, and certainly before my arm." he said.

Sasha nodded, "Ok....So why does it have someone else's symbol on it?" she asked.

Nick smirked, looking at her, "Don't worry...I didn't steal it. Nor was it pilfered from a body. It was given to me..." he explained.

Sasha raised an eyebrow, "Who by?"

"My mother..." he said. Sasha's eyes both widened and she stuttered for a moment.

"Oh....Really? So she was a huntress? O-or a thief?" she asked, stuttering around with her words.

Nick chuckled, "I'm not completely sure...I think she was a huntress....Well at least that's what my dad always thought....They weren't a lasting thing, if you know what I mean..." he said.

Sasha was a little confused, "So....Your mother didn't raise you...But.....Then how?...." she asked.

Nick smiled a bit, "Well when I was born, my mother decided to pay my father a visit....And uh....Leave him a thank you present for what they shared....That's me by the way, hello." he said. Sasha chuckled and Nick's smile widened, "Well she left me with him, and this gun, wrapped in that cloth. It was hers, or at least as far as I know...Neither of us ever saw her after that. She only left a note with my name and that this gun was mine...It's all I have of her....I've used it all my life, until that explosion....If it hadn't been for Grant...I'd have lost it....It's actually why I became a thief in the first place...I'd like to think she's still alive. And I wanted to get money...Wealth...Strength...So that perhaps...If I ever found her....I could return it to her....And show her what I've become....Show her what this...Lonely little gun made me into...I wanted to bring this with into Initiation, in her name....But it doesn't matter. I've got it back now. That's what matters." he explained. Sasha walked along wide eyed and astounded...

She considered this for a minute, "Hm.....I.......Hehe, I guess if we ever do find your mother....I'll owe her a thank you..." she said. Nick was slightly taken aback...He'd hear the word 'we' in there...

"Uh....W-what would you have to thank her for?..." he asked tentatively.

Sasha smiled and took his hand, and leaned against him, "Because if she hadn't left you that handgun like that...You may not be here today...And I wouldn't have met you....." she said. Nick could feel his face turn a deep red and kept walking. Sasha suddenly removed her head and gasped. Nick looked over at her, "What is it?!" he asked. He had kinda been enjoying having her head on his shoulder like that.

"Anna called while we were in there....She and Jay are probably done...We should get back to the-" she had began to pull out her scroll, but Nick frowned and grabbed her hand.

"No no...Come on now...Let them be done.....Let them have some alone time together....I told off Jay to get the chance to take you out for dinner, and that's what I intend to do...Come on, I got a great place in mind..." he said, taking her hand and walking ahead. Sasha's eyes got wide and she smiled.

"Alright then....Let's go..." she said, content.

* * *

 

Anna frowned, slightly worried...She looked over at Jay, who still had her hand and was walking quickly, careful to put plenty of distance between Iskelle and themselves, keeping track of her with his semblance. Anna took her hand away and moved to walk next to him.

"Sasha isn't picking up....Neither is Nick....They must have silenced their scrolls..." she said.

Jay didn't look away from his target, "They're out on a date......Just leave a message because they probably won't be getting back to us soon. Let's just keep on Iskelle right now." he said. Anna frowned again and looked ahead. She couldn't see hr through the crowd...Jay was watching her, but it was still a little astounding he could track her that way. Either way, she had a bad feeling.

"What is she even doing here...What is she doing just...Out in public like that." she asked.

Jay shrugged, "She's a suspect in a cold case...No one's been looking for her since a year after her disappearance...I doubt she'd be arrested even if anyone did recognize her." he said.

Anna looked over at him, "Jay, maybe we should let her walk..." she muttered.

Jay's eyes widened, but didn't move from the direction they faced, "What?!" he responded, also trying to keep his voice down.

Anna shrugged, "Well....We just....S-she could be leading us to a trap...She could be doing something that.....Look, we just don't know the full situation, and here we are going after her on little more than a whim." she said.

Jay frowned, "Anna, we can't let this chance go to waste. Perhaps we don't know the situation, but that's why we're going after her. None of us know what Xellos' plan is, none of us have even the slightest idea....And here one of his right hands walks by us on the street?!  We can't just.....We can't let this pass. We can't let her go on the slim chance it's a trap, or that she's doing something we won't see coming..." he said.

Anna looked at him and grabbed his hand, still walking, "And if it turns out we're exactly where she wants us to be?! If she's using the fact that she's ahead to put us right where we're supposed to be? Has your brilliant head thought of that?!" she said a little feverishly.

Jay sighed, "Yes, it has. Believe it or not Anna, I can think the worst as well. It doesn't matter now though. If you think it's a trap or if you think you shouldn't be here, you have permission to take your leave. I'm not going anywhere. I've made my choice and I'll stand by that. I'm going to do what has to be done." he said. The conviction in his voice was clear.

Anna sighed and laced her fingers with his, "Then I'm with you. You'll need someone to fight with you, and make sure you don't get yourself killed...And besides....I trust your decisions...You're one of our leaders, remember?..." she said.

Her face had turned red, but she didn't care, because his had too. She felt his grip tighten as they walked. They followed Iskelle for a good half hour before they came to the pier. They kept themselves out of sight at all times, with Jay watching her movements through around the buildings...She came to one of the larger warehouses and slid the doors open just slightly to get herself inside, and closed the door behind her. Jay and Anna walked over to the door, more confident with her out of sight. Jay looked over the latch, which had had a lock removed from it recently.

He glanced over at Anna, "Well then? One more chance.....You can still walk away..." he said. Anna released his hand and pulled her axe off her back.

"No....I'm standing with you..." she said.

Jay smirked and pulled out his tonfas, "Before we go in their...Let me see if I can't see anything." he said.

Anna looked surprised, "You can see through things?" she asked.

Jay shrugged, "I've been practicing. I can't see completely through things, it mostly just looks like fuzzy smoke...But I can see auras pretty well..." he said. Anna smiled as he pushed his Sight to the limit, staring around the room. Nothing looked completely defined to him though...But on the other side of the room, he saw a light blue aura and light blue Ice Dust signatures.

"What do you see?" Anna asked.

"Uh....Well...She's on the far side of the room, just crouching there...She looks....Hm...Like she's shaking a bit...Like she's crying...She's practically in a ball on the floor as far as I can tell...No other aura is present..." he said, closing his eyes for a minute. Anna raised an eyebrow and Jay shrugged at her. "Well.....For better or worse....Here we go..." Jay said as he reached out towards the doors.

* * *

 


End file.
